The continuous shrill beep from the RV dash while the STOP light lit up until we slowed down was an annoying way to travel. Every time we hit a slight incline, we would have to drastically decrease our speed to keep the dash from screeching. And when you turn on your flashers, they beep. Add the road noise, and there was some major sensory overload going on. Our drive to Illinois was uneventful, for the most part. Then, we were just outside St. Louis, MO; it was about 6:00 PM on the evening of Friday, March 19th, 2021. The road noise became deafening, then it was silent. We pulled to the side of I-44, where Tom discovered a large hole in one of our tires. Weird, since we’d had our good friend who owns Richard’s Mobile Tire Service in Oceanside, CA, check them out just before leaving. We got him on the phone, and he told us to find someone like him in St. Louis. When we turned the RV back on to limp it down the off-ramp and off the interstate, it wouldn’t move. It was in gear, but the engine just revved each time Tom depressed the gas.
We called a tow truck then proceeded to sit and wait. On the side of the interstate, staring at the sign for exit 274A on I-44 East. It never ceases to amaze me how inconsiderate people can be. We are a 38′ long shoebox, and the lane next to us is exit-only. People flew by in the lane closest to us, rocking the motorhome. There were three other lanes to use. Safety first, people. A small tow truck pulled up, and we laughed, knowing there was no way that thing was towing our home. The driver was the owner of the towing company, Miner’s Towing. He came to check on us and make sure we were okay while waiting for his big tow truck capable of towing us.
After a while, the heavy truck showed up, and they got to work loading our home. They towed us to CIT, a local Cummins authorized repair shop that would also fix our fuel system issue. Tom grabbed an Uber to the airport to pick up a rental car while the girls and I stayed behind at the shop packing up what we thought we would need for an indefinite amount of time. We were hopeful for less than a week but always prepared for more. Luckily, the shop was open until midnight and wouldn’t kick us out on the curb to wait for Tom. Tom arrived with a Ford Escape, and away we went to Auburn, IL. Without our home.
On Monday, the shop manager called to let us know he was trying to source a drive shaft. By Friday, his only available option was a $5,000 driveshaft. He was trying to talk to someone else but getting the cold shoulder. He supposedly spent all week sourcing a part and was coming up empty-handed. After wasting an entire week and nowhere closer to getting our home back, I reached out to our friend in Oceanside and let him know what was going on. He reached out to some people he knew and came back with a guy’s name in Springfield, MO. We called him, and he discovered that a yoke from Spartan chassis would take 70 days to receive. I don’t know what he was able to do, but he had a drive shaft for us to pick up the very next day. Tom and I drove to Springfield, MO, picked up the custom-built driveshaft, and dropped it off at CIT in Fenton, MO, around 5:30 PM on Thursday, April 1st. They still hadn’t touched the fuel system problem, they’d only had it for two weeks, and it’s our home. No rush. After sourcing the driveshaft and delivering it ourselves, we were able to drive our home back to Auburn mid-afternoon on Friday, April 2nd.
Since we had to pick up and deliver the part for the fastest service, we left the girls behind with Tom’s brother, Latham, and his wife, Ruth, and had ourselves a night out in St. Louis, MO. We had the red room at the Angad Arts Hotel, and it did not disappoint. After checking in, we climbed the stairs to the rooftop bar to take in the scenery and enjoy a cocktail. It was a bit chilly for our Southern California blood, so we sat indoors, but I saw them taking a blanket to a couple who dared sit outside. We walked practically next door to The Best Steakhouse, recommended by the woman who checked us in. We took our steak back to the room where we ate then enjoyed a soak in the red, clawfoot tub.
The following morning we checked in with the shop that had our home and was told they would be done sometime that afternoon. With time to kill after checking out of our hotel room, we searched for lunch. Being in St. Louis, BBQ was a must. We found Pappy’s Smokehouse on the map and made a beeline for the restaurant, where we had the best ribs I have ever eaten in my life. I don’t even like ribs because I am always disappointed by them. Not this time. We drove by Gateway Arch National Park. This may be an unpopular opinion, but we will probably never visit this National Park. I have zero interest, and the girls are not begging to visit.
During the two weeks our home was in the shop, we had time to spare since we were not spending every extra moment remodeling, and we could get out and see a few things. Tom was born and raised in Springfield, IL. Did you know Abraham Lincoln lived in Springfield, Illinois (IL), when he was elected president? Springfield is home to the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, so away we went for a field trip. After a quick health screening of “do, you have any COVID symptoms in the last 14 days? Have you been around someone COVID positive in the last 14 days? Are you experiencing shortness of breath?” And inside wrist temperature checks, we were permitted entrance. Liv was on crutches, and thankfully they have complimentary wheelchairs (and strollers) on a first-come, first-served basis.
We were greeted by a lovely gentleman who explained the best way to enjoy the museum as we entered the central courtyard area. We started with a creepy photo of the girls posing with Lincoln’s family. Then explored Lincoln’s Treasures room before entertaining ourselves with the first of their 2 shows, ‘Ghosts of the Library.’ Fascinating show with an actor and holographic effects. It was a short 9 minutes, then we moved to the next theater for a showing of ‘Lincoln’s Eyes.’ This one was a bit longer and very intriguing. The seats vibrated with gunshots and thunder while strobes acted like lightning. We went backward, as our family told us. Really we were trying to not get caught up in the small child field trip. We started in the White House and moved backward in Lincoln’s life to the log cabin he grew up in. It was a great museum, and they did an excellent job presenting the information. My favorite exhibits were Mary’s dresses in the White House and Abraham’s children playing baseball with the ink in the newspaper office Abraham Lincoln owned before becoming president.
After wandering through the open parts of the museum, our family members headed home. At the same time, we took a rainy detour through the cemetery Lincoln was first buried in and is still buried in. Tom’s parents are buried in the same cemetery, but we didn’t find them. It’s an extensive cemetery, and all he remembered was a hill. The cemetery has lots of hills. Then we drove around checking out Tom’s old haunts before heading back to Auburn for a family dinner.
We were excited to start remodeling our RV and woke up Saturday morning ready to put in the work.
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